The award is presented annually to an academic psychiatrist who has, in a significant traditional or innovative manner, fostered the pursuit of trainee research within his or her university department.

Considerations for receiving this award include both direct mentorship of individual students and the promotion of novel research-oriented training activities within a department or residency program. The American Psychiatric Association is the world’s largest psychiatric organization. It is a medical specialty society representing more than 33,000 psychiatric physicians from the United States and around the world.

Meador-Woodruff was previously awarded the 2007 Kempf Fund Award for research development in psychobiological psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education (APIRE). The award recognizes a senior researcher who has made a significant contribution to research on the causes and treatment of schizophrenia as both a researcher and a mentor.

The Kempf Fund Award provided funding to support the development of the research career of Robert McCullumsmith, M.D., Ph.D., while he was working in a mentor-trainee relationship with Meador-Woodruff. McCullumsmith joined the UAB faculty along with his mentor from the University of Michigan in 2006.